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Bowl Season is a Joke

colperm said:
All good points and I have no trouble believing that the incentive structure is there for schools and most coaches to put in the effort to win these games.

But overall I think there needs to be some tweaks to incentivize the best players to want to compete in these games. Speaking strictly from a fan perspective
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This I 1000000% agree w/ u, & I think the bowl games need reformation in general. I talked to my cousin last night about how his employer (ESPN) have put so much emphasis on the CFP that they’ve in a way diminished bowl season, which also hurts them. Their marketing is flawed.

I complete agree that there needs to be incentives for these players. I completely get where these players are coming from; I mean u can get injured and ur draft stock is shot. I also believe the transfer portal is killing bowl games; the calendar needs to change. Kids are not just opting out the “meaningless” games, but they are opting out of CFP games, as well, due to the portal.

That’s an issue.
 
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colperm said:
Not completely disagreeing, but part of my point is that many of the guys with the talent to actually make a career of football are choosing to skip these games for one reason or another
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Fair point and hopefully the expansion to 12 in the playoff format is compelling enough to keep some of them on the field for those games. We're not anywhere near that level but maybe someday.

I'm surprised NIL agreements aren't tied to full participation throughout the season, to include bowl games. With the new expansion I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen, to players on teams that make up the 12. Of course I don't know **** about the NIL structure so I'm just thinking outloud.
 
Rellyrell said:
So u wanna use that one bowl game as an example? Lol. How about the 2022 Bama team, that blew out KSU in a “meaningless” Sugar Bowl last season? What about the 2019 Bama team that played in the “hella meaningless” Citrus Bowl & blew out #14 UofM? What about the “hella, HELLA meaningless” Capital One Bowl game where Bama blew out #7 MSU in 2010?

Don’t use an outlier to try to gaslight the board. Any coach who’s a competitor gives a **** about winning EVERYTHING. Just b/c this bull **** narrative keeps floating around doesn’t make it true. Players have become self interested; these muh fckas are opting out of CFP GAMES! Are they meaningless? So let’s keep context where context is.
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The post was Saban would NOT allow this to happen. Obviously it did.

Some of you all really need to get off the ledge. It's not an excuse for what happened yesterday. It's up to Cristobal, his staff, and the team as a whole to be ready. They weren't and shame on them.

Take a step back and look at all the non-playoff bowl games. Do you think they are truly representative of college football at its finest? You know, the idea that all games are important, school pride, and all that?
 
TheOriginalCane said:
I also think people are missing an important point about the word "matters" and why bowl games don't matter. It's not just about whether bowl games "matter" to the TEAMS. The more relevant aspect is that bowl games don't "matter" to INDIVIDUALS. That's why so many PLAYERS choose to sit out.

If bowl games "mattered", more players would risk playing in the game, regardless of NFL draft prospects or transfer destinations. But the bowl games do NOT "matter" to most players.

Clearly, SOME players played; no bowl games were cancelled. Some players who are going to transfer still play in non-playoff bowl games. Some players who are going to be drafted still play in non-playoff bowl games. But MOST opt out.

Yesterday, Miami had a lot more NFL draft/Transfer portal opt-outs than Rutgers had. That's a fact. Maybe the OUTCOME of the game mattered to the players who participated, but the bowl game did NOT matter to all the players who opted out.



View attachment 275877

"What we've got here is failure to participate. Some players, you just can't reach. So you get what we had here last night -- which is the way they want it. Well, they get it. And I don't like it anymore than you men."
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Yeah context matters as it does with everything. Something we tend to lack around here.

Like I was saying if there’s this trajectory of the program we are building towards, if we are to believe that the players coming in to the program rather than the ones heading out, are the “Mario guys” then it’s a bundling block towards his vision of where we are supposed to be
 
NJshoreCane said:
:ROFLMAO:
But do you have an opinion on the state of secondary bowl games in these opt-out/portal-out times?
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The bowls in 2023 matter no more or less than they did in 2016. The difference now is that most here don't even think we have chance to win. Nobody is hanging banners for the Almanac Direction Bowl. The issue is we didn't field a competitive team and after 2 years a few players on our second team shouldn't be significantly inferior to Rutgers.
 
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BentSteelCane said:
Fair point and hopefully the expansion to 12 in the playoff format is compelling enough to keep some of them on the field for those games. We're not anywhere near that level but maybe someday.

I'm surprised NIL agreements aren't tied to full participation throughout the season, to include bowl games. With the new expansion I wouldn't be surprised to see that happen, to players on teams that make up the 12. Of course I don't know **** about the NIL structure so I'm just thinking outloud.
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The 12 team playoff will help keep those players active for those games. Unfortunately for the other 30 or so bowl games, it will basically be JV football.
 
TheOriginalCane said:
To be fair, I've said the bowl games are worthless for decades. I do want to win any bowl game that we are in. But in the current situation, with all the NFL/Portal opt-outs, most bowl games are more worthless than ever.

Maybe a few rules could be changed, like either "delaying" Portal entry or giving Portal kids immediate eligibility to play in the bowl games. Who knows.

Let's just get to the 12 team playoff ASAP.
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Playoff needs to be 16 teams, and incorporate some of these tier 1 meaningless bowls into rotation, that way when they are not in rotation their value/perception increases. And the portal window must be after the entire season; players are more “I” than “we” now, and again, u can thank Christian McCaffrey, & mostly Leonard Fournette for this.
 
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cway313 said:
The bowls in 2023 matter no more or less than they did in 2016. The difference now is that most here don't even think we have chance to win. Nobody is hanging banners for the Almanac Direction Bowl. The issue is we didn't field a competitive team and after 2 years a few players on our second team shouldn't be significantly inferior to Rutgers.
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No, his question was your opinion on the effect of opt-outs/portal on non-playoff bowl games.

You are stuck on the results of Canes game. You're right, the Canes should have been more competitive and won the game. Not sure why you think most on here thought the Canes had no chance to win, but that's your opinion.

Now back to the discussion at hand, do you honestly think there is no difference in the quality of non-playoff bowl games now than in 2016?
 
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Rellyrell said:
Playoff needs to be 16 teams, and incorporate some of these tier 1 meaningless bowls into rotation, that way when they are not in rotation their value/perception increases. And the portal window must be after the entire season; players are more I than we now, and again, u thank Christian McCaffrey, & mostly Leonard Fournette for this.
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Jaylon Smith, I think more than those 2. If he doesn't get hurt I think opt outs remain more isolated.
 
TemplarCane said:
Do not complain about yesterday‘s game if you feel bowl games are meaningless.

I understand players opting out rather than risk injury if they’re moving on to the NFL draft or transferring to another program. That’s unfortunate and needs to be addressed, at least the portal problem. And for that matter coaches too, because I’m tired of seeing coaches quit on their team right after the last regular season game.

I guess it’s a difference between having ‘meaning’ and ‘mattering’.

If you’re coaching or playing, the game should matter.
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The bolded part is why I wont get mad at players and how they approach them. Good, bad, or indifferent. Everyone has to do what's best for them. Relationships and decisions are transactional now.
 
Rellyrell said:
This I 1000000% agree w/ u, & I think the bowl games need reformation in general. I talked to my cousin last night about how his employer (ESPN) have put so much emphasis on the CFP that they’ve in a way diminished bowl season, which also hurts them. Their marketing is flawed.

I complete agree that there needs to be incentives for these players. I completely get where these players are coming from; I mean u can get injured and ur draft stock is shot. I also believe the transfer portal is killing bowl games; the calendar needs to change. Kids are not just opting out the “meaningless” games, but they are opting out of CFP games, as well, due to the portal.

That’s an issue.
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I agree with you. However, I think that would entail the NCAA and the media giants admitting that the players are the product (a snippet of what Chip Kelly said) and I don't think those greedy SOBs are willing to do that.
 
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CaneinBroward said:
The post was Saban would NOT allow this to happen. Obviously it did.

Some of you all really need to get off the ledge. It's not an excuse for what happened yesterday. It's up to Cristobal, his staff, and the team as a whole to be ready. They weren't and shame on them.

Take a step back and look at all the non-playoff bowl games. Do you think they are truly representative of college football at its finest? You know, the idea that all games are important, school pride, and all that?
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I think I’ve watched a ton a great bowl games this season, where kids played hard and wanted it. Privately, we’ve been talking about how good these games have been, so again, I don’t know what u’re referring to.

Lastly, u’re point of “Saban not allowing this” was an anomaly of a bad game. They lost to an 11-2 OU team, not a 6-6 Rutgers. That has nothing to do w/ no caring or not having his team up for that game; some times when u play a good team, as well, u get ur **** pushed in. That 2013 team played w/ fire in several games that year, also getting smoked by Johnny Magic, struggling w/ Miss St, & then AU got them.
 
CaneinBroward said:
No, his question was your opinion on the effect of opt-outs/portal on non-playoff bowl games.

You are stuck on the results of Canes game. You're right, the Canes should have been more competitive and won the game. Not sure why you think most on here thought the Canes had no chance to win, but that's your opinion.

Now back to the discussion at hand, do you honestly think there is no difference in the quality of non-playoff bowl games now than in 2016?
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The volume of opt outs has changed but its not like teams are fielding 50 man rosters. If the games were treated like the Spring game, I would have a different opinion but I havent seen a single game where one team used it as an exhibition. Yes teams are at less than full strength but it's not like players are sitting out and coming back to the team. The players that skip bowl games are looking to the next opportunity
 
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cway313 said:
The volume of opt outs has changed but its not like teams are fielding 50 man rosters. If the games were treated like the Spring game, I would have a different opinion but I havent seen a single game where one team used it as an exhibition. Yes teams are at less than full strength but it's not like players are sitting out and coming back to the team. The players that skip bowl games are looking to the next opportunity
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I read an article that basically broke down that this phenomena of dudes sitting out is way overblown. It gets mentioned a lot by media because media focuses on the playoff, which obviously has the best teams with the most nfl prospects. But outside of the top of the heap it’s actually a very small amount of guys sitting out
 
Barion Brown of Kentucky is fast. He just returned a 100 yard KO against Clemson. I think the ACC is going to lose another. Bowl season is a joke for the ACC.
 
cway313 said:
Jaylon Smith, I think more than those 2. If he doesn't get hurt I think opt outs remain more isolated.
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Yeah, u’re right; Smith got injured in The Fiesta Bowl & the following year, Fournette & McCaffrey chose to opt out creating the trend. And b/c Smith wasn’t protected, he went from a sure fire 1st round pick, probably a top 10 pick, to a 2nd round pick, losing millions.

That’s why I suggested many threads ago about draft eligible players having draft insurance that will protect them financially if a catastrophic injury occurs.
 
Rellyrell said:
Yeah, u’re right; Smith got injured in The Fiesta Bowl & the following year, Fournette & McCaffrey chose to opt out creating the trend. And b/c Smith wasn’t protected, he went from a sure fire 1st round pick, probably a top 10 pick, to a 2nd round pick, losing millions.

That’s why I suggested many threads ago about draft eligible players having draft insurance that will protect them financially if a catastrophic injury occurs.
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I honestly don't have a problem with those type guys sitting out the game. They cant raise their draft profile at all. The portal opening before bowl season concludes is the main issue.
 
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